The Principles of State and Government in Islam

Everyone should read this book. Very interesting book.

Good

Thought-provoking. I've been reading a number of books about Islam, sharia, governance, rule of law, & state-building.Asad writes clearly & concisely. His analysis offers a legitimate rationale for a democratic-republican constitution for an Islamic state that does not conflict with the over-riding principles of Islamic law.For obvious reasons, Islamic societies are suspicious of Western powers efforts to persuade them to adopt Western models of governance. The Western models don't necessarily meet the needs or wants of these societies; there have been occasions in history when high-sounding Western rhetoric masked the raw power of imperial states that would not let the principles stand in the way of their own political goals.Asad demonstrates how, consistent with the Quran & Sunna, an Islamic State could establish a strong executive, checked by a strong assembly and a strong constitutional court, borrowing mechanisms from different Western societies, to establish a government that is subordinate to a higher law but responsive to current social, economic & political conditions. This government could enact laws that do not conflict with the clear, undisputed commands & prohibitions of Islam, just as the earlier Islamic states could.Asad demonstrates that consent of the governed and consultation of the legislative branch by the executive, as well as accountability of the executive to the Muslim population, were part of Islamic government under the Caliphate.Asad does not purport to design a single, infallible constitution. Instead, he shows how Islamic principles can be applied to develop workable models of Islamic government that respect the voices of all citizens of the Islamic community. I would be interested in reading books that build on Asad's ideas & further develop the idea of establishing an Islamic polity that engages its population in the consultation process & that maintains checks & balances against potential abuses of power by a leader who chooses to lead his people away from their principles.I think Islam's best hope of developing workable systems of self-government is to base their efforts on sound Islamic scholarship, rather than to uncritically adopt a Western system. I don't see anything wrong with an Islamic society borrowing forms & mechanisms from other societies, so long as the "tools" fit the needs of the Islamic society.I think any Westerner who wants to "help" Islamic cultures build "rule of law" and "democratic governance" should start his preparation by reading this brief treatise. These concepts have deep roots in Muslim history.

Muhammad Asad is my favourite Muslim author. He writes clearly and without ambugiaty. This books is based on an essay Asad wrote while working for the new Pakistan state in the 1940's. The author argues clearly for a change in attitude from Muslims, whether scholar or layman, that a true Islamic revival can only come about from going back to the Qur'aan and Sunnah and rejecting the schools of fiqh, which by their very nature are no longer relevant to the needs of our times. Clearly influeced by the Zaaheeri school of thought, which only follows the nass injuctions of the Qur'aan and Sunnah, he argues many Muslims have become confused as to what the true Shari'ah is and what are fiqhi derivitives of the various schools of thought. And because there is such a lack of homogenity from various factions of the Muslims community, he argues the situation will never change until Muslims reconcile themselves to the true tennets of the Shar'ah.

Limited in its scope and has some fundamental flaws such as saying Jihad is defensive only, confusing Shura with democracy

Deception. Be aware.The cover book inside is "Infantry attacks" and not the principles of state and government in Islam.I had ordered it a while back and only got time now to read it and when I opened it, to my unpleasant surprise it's a completely different book.

Very useful and a must read I think but as far as I am concerned, I need to read it several times to wrap my head around it, even though I see that the author tried his best to be as clear and methodical as possible. I'll definitly make my friends read it.